Goodarzi Speaks at the University of Chicago

Jubin Goodarzi, Associate Professor and Deputy Head of the International Relations
Department at Webster University Geneva spent the Fall 1 term at the main campus of
Webster University in St. Louis, Missouri where he taught a history course and participated
in the activities of the Department of History, Politics and International Relations
(HPIR). Last month, he was part of a panel discussing foreign perspectives on the
U.S. presidential elections, where he explained the various views in the Middle East
on the November elections. In mid-October, Goodarzi traveled to Chicago where he gave
a presentation on Iranian foreign policy at a seminar at Northwestern University,
and later on the same day, he delivered a lecture at the University of Chicago’s Center
for Middle Eastern Studies (CMES) entitled "Iran and Syria: the Rise, Decline and
Durability of the Tehran-Damascus Alliance." The University of Chicago is considered
to be one of the most prominent academic institutions in Middle Eastern studies, not
only in the United States, but also in the world. Jubin Goodarzi visited the CMES
at the invitation of its director, Professor Hakan Karateke, and the deputy director,
Professor Thomas Maguire.

In his lecture, Goodarzi traced the rise and evolution of the alliance between Iran
and Syria since its inception in 1979, highlighting its achievements and setbacks,
and then focusing on Tehran’s role in assisting Bashar Assad’s regime since the outbreak
of the crisis in Syria in March 2011. He shed light on Iran’s involvement over the
past five years to prevent the toppling of the regime in Damascus, and lobbying Russia
in 2015 to enter the fray, in view of the reverses suffered by Syrian government forces
and the limits of Tehran’s capabilities. Goodarzi explained while Iran was relieved
by Moscow’s intervention in Syria, paradoxically, Russia has now overshadowed Iran
as the main backer of Bashar Assad. Iran has been relegated to a secondary position
and faces greater constraints in pursuing its interests in Syria. Furthermore, Moscow
and Tehran do not necessarily share the same objectives in Syria, with Iran being
more committed to keeping the Syrian leader in power. The lecture was attended primarily
by graduate students and professors. The 45-minute lecture was followed by a discussion/question-and-answer
period.